Jul 21, 2014

Evan Davis named as Newsnight anchor

The BBC has announced Evan Davis will move from the Today programme on Radio 4 to become the permanent replacement for Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight. Davis will anchor BBC2's flagship current affairs programme three nights per week.

The move surprised many media watchers and bookmakers who had Laura Kuenssberg, Eddie Mair or Krishnan Guru-Murthy pegged as favourites for the lead role. A spokesman for Ladbrokes told The Media Blog his company took just one £3 bet on Davis at odds of 25-1, compared to "heavy gambles on Eddie Mair and Laura Kuenssberg". Betfair, Coral and Paddy Power meanwhile confirmed to The Media Blog that Davis hadn't even featured in their markets.

A spokesman for Paddy Power said the company hadn't received a single request for odds on Davis, adding: "We thought Krishnan Guru-Murthy was a certainty; we actually suspended betting on him in June."

Ian Katz, editor of Newsnight, said:

"Evan brings a rare combination of curiosity, intelligence and mischief to his broadcasting - just the qualities I want Newsnight to be known for. I've admired him from afar as a listener and viewer for years and I'm thrilled that he's joining us to help reinvent the show where he made his name in the Nineties."

Davis said he was powerless to "turn down the offer of this role on Newsnight, treading in the footsteps of some of the best television presenters in the business."